Homing

Why do we feel homesick when we’re away? And why can it sometimes feel so unsettling when we finally find our way back?

Professor Susan J. Matt is a historian of emotions at Weber State University and the author of several books about our emotional relationship with home, consumerism and technology – including Homesickness: An American History.

Once considered a legitimate medical diagnosis, homesickness came to be seen as a sign of weakness and a lack of adaptability. In this conversation, Susan traces how this shift happened, and what we’ve lost because of it.

Together, we explore why childhood homes exert such a powerful pull on us, how memory tends to idealise the past, and why our homes need to connect us to the world beyond their walls.

We also discuss how envy went from being a sin to a driving force behind consumerism; and what constantly looking at other people’s lives and homes is doing to our satisfaction with our own.

To hear more from Susan:

Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.weber.edu/history/susanmatt.html

Susan is the author of Homesickness: An American History and Bored, Lonely, Angry, Stupid.

To hear more from us:

Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMatt
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt
Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Antiques dealer Will Fisher was obsessed with English country houses from age seven – a fascination that sparked a lifelong pursuit of beauty.

Will grew up in southeast London, the son of two working-class teachers, and persuaded his parents to take him on country house visits, dreaming of recreating their beauty in his own home.

Today, Will is one of London's most respected antiques dealers. Alongside his wife, Charlotte Freemantle, he owns Jamb, which is known for its refined fireplaces, lighting and furniture. Their shared home in Camberwell is a treasure trove of objects amassed over a lifetime.

In this conversation, Will talks about his serendipitous journey into the world of antiques, his experiences of dyslexia and feeling like an outsider, and how he's created an environment that helps him feel at home in himself.

He also speaks with remarkable openness about a traumatic experience in his teens that had a lasting impact on his mental health.

This is a conversation about beauty, chance and what it means to build a home around the things you love.

We recorded this episode at Charlotte & Will’s Georgian house in Camberwell. Join our Patreon community to watch the exclusive video walkthrough: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

To hear more from us:

Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMatt
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt
Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

For Turkish-British novelist Elif Shafak, home isn't a physical place; it lives in the stories we tell.

Elif is an award-winning novelist, celebrated for writing about the lives of people on the margins. She has spent much of her life moving between countries, cultures and languages. Yet she feels most at home in the world of books, stories and imagination – a place she calls ‘Storyland’.

In this conversation, we talk about the loneliness that first drew her to stories, and what it means to write in a language that isn’t your mother tongue.

She also tells me about being forced to write with her right hand as a child, her experience of postpartum depression, and why it’s so important that we talk openly about our mental health.

This is a conversation about stories, exile and belonging – and how home can be found beyond the physical.

Guest Info:

Elif Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist, whose work has been translated into fifty-eight languages. Her new novel IN ONE BRIEF MOMENT ALL ETERNITY is published on 15 October 2026 and available in all good bookshops. Her previous novel, THERE ARE RIVERS IN THE SKY, was the UK’s bestselling literary hardback novel of 2025, selling over 500,000 copies.

To hear more from us:

Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMatt
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt
Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Dan Martensen is a portrait and fashion photographer whose work appears in Vogue, i-D and WSJ Magazine. He’s also the founder of It’s Bagels, bringing the New York-style bagel he grew up with to London.

In this conversation, Dan talks about being uprooted from his childhood home at eleven, struggling to fit in at school, and learning to hide his sensitivity to get by.

We discuss how those early experiences influenced his work as a photographer, his instinctive ability to connect with people, and his marriage to stylist Clare Richardson.

Dan also tells the brilliantly chaotic story of renovating his house while simultaneously opening the first It’s Bagels in Primrose Hill – a business born, quite literally, from his homesickness for New York.

Having once been the person his friends thought would never leave New York, Dan reflects on the unexpected process of putting down roots in London, and how this house finally made it feel like home.

This episode was filmed inside Dan’s home in North-West London. Join our Patreon community to watch the exclusive video walkthrough: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

Dan Martensen:

Website: danmartensen.com

Instagram: @danmartensen

It's Bagels:

Website: itsbagels.com
Instagram: @its__bagels

To hear more from us:

Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMatt
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt
Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Writer and creative coach Amie McNee believes that creativity isn’t a luxury; it’s a fundamental human need, and one that many of us are suppressing.

Amie has a wonderfully broad definition of creativity. It might mean writing a novel or painting a picture, but it could just as easily be gardening, baking a cake, or singing in the shower. It’s not about creating something good, useful, or profitable; it’s about making things because that’s what humans do.

In this conversation, we talk about what happens to us when we neglect the instinct to create, and why modern life makes it increasingly difficult to protect.

We also discuss the role the home plays in creativity—why Amie believes we should leave our creative materials lying around, and why she's fiercely protective of the space and solitude she needs to write.

Amie McNee:

Amie McNee is a writer, artist and creator. Her book We Need Your Art, a manifesto on the vital, human importance for creating art, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/462403/we-need-your-art-by-mcnee-amie/9781529937015

To hear more from us:

Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, HomingWithMatt

YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt

Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt

Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic

Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office

Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

At 91, Rose Wylie has one of the most remarkable stories in contemporary British art. She stopped painting in order to raise her three children and returned to it in middle age, finding widespread recognition in her seventies.

Today her work is exhibited around the world, and earlier this year she had a major show at the Royal Academy.

For the past 58 years, Rose has lived in the same house in Kent. It’s an extraordinary space where piles of discarded paper are strewn across the floor, and the windows are covered in paint.

Rose has little interest in domestic rules: she doesn’t tidy her studio, leaves her garden to run wild, and lets the house adapt around her life and art.

In this conversation, we explore the influences that shaped Rose’s unconventional life – from her wartime upbringing as the youngest of seven, to her partnership with her late husband Roy Oxlade, and finding global acclaim later in life.

Rose’s story is one of freedom, creativity, ageing, and the value of allowing a home – and perhaps a life – to develop on its own terms.

Join our Patreon community to watch the exclusive video walkthrough inside Rose Wylie’s home and studio: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

Rose Wylie:

Rose Wylie's exhibition at David Zwirner Hong Kong is called Napoleon and Wild Flowers. It is a show of new paintings. It will be on view from 24 November 2026 to 6 March 2027.

To hear more from us:

Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMatt
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt
Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We spend around a third of our lives asleep, yet for so many of us, getting a good night’s sleep can feel like a real struggle. Could our homes hold some of the answers to sleeping better?

In this conversation, leading sleep expert and Oxford Professor of Circadian Neuroscience Russell Foster rethinks the rules of sleep and explores how we can create a home environment that supports our natural rhythms.

We discuss why getting outside in the morning is one of the best things we can do for sleep, how to navigate a partner's different sleeping habits and why sleep trackers often do more harm than good.

But perhaps the most reassuring idea of all is that we need to stop trying so hard. As Russell points out, the more we worry about sleep, the more elusive it can become. Sometimes the best thing we can do is create the right conditions and let it take care of itself.

Please note: the views expressed in this episode are those of the guest and are not intended as medical advice.

To hear more from us:

Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, HomingWithMatt

YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt

Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt

Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic

Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office

Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Matt Gibberd visits writer and creative consultant Charlene Prempeh at her home in North London.

Charlene is the founder of A Vibe Called Tech, a creative studio that champions Black culture. She’s a columnist for the Financial Times, and curator of an upcoming exhibition at the Design Museum called The Nue Black Aesthetic.

Charlene grew up in a small council house in Canning Town that was, in her words, "teeming with people". She was the youngest of four children, raised by a single mother, with cousins, friends and members of the Ghanaian community constantly coming and going.

In this conversation, we talk about how that crowded childhood left her with a love of solitude. We explore why she doesn't believe that more space necessarily makes a happier home, and how, despite having very little money growing up, the dinner table always felt like a place of abundance.

We also discuss why she found herself shape-shifting when she arrived at Oxford University, the importance of books and beautiful objects, and what it means to be truly at home with yourself.

Join us over on Patreon to watch the full home tour.

Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

To hear more from us:

Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMatt
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt
Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Lemn Sissay is a poet, playwright and broadcaster. Few people have thought more deeply about the meaning of home than Lemn.

As a baby, Lemn was separated from his Ethiopian mother and placed into foster care with a white family. He grew up believing he had been abandoned, not even knowing his real name. From the age of twelve, he was placed in a series of children's homes, where he remained until adulthood.

In this conversation, we explore how those early experiences shaped Lemn’s understanding of family, belonging and identity.

We talk about how poetry gave him a sense of place when nowhere else could, and what it means to build a sense of home inside yourself after losing it so young.

These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional.

Lemn Sissay:
See Lemn on tour: https://www.fane.co.uk/lemn-sissay#event-listing
Share your family story on Lemn's global storytelling website: https://tellmesomething.family/

To hear more from us:

Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, HomingWithMatt
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt
Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Anna Jones is a cook, food writer, and one of the leading voices in modern vegetarian cooking. For Anna, making food for someone is the ultimate act of care.

She began her career working alongside Jamie Oliver, before becoming one of Britain's best-loved food writers in her own right with bestsellers like A Modern Way to Eat and One: Pot, Pan, Planet.

Anna grew up in a close-knit family where food was central to everything and, for a shy child, cooking became a way to express herself. She also shares how losing close family friends in the Lockerbie air disaster instilled a lifelong instinct to be the dependable one.

We explore motherhood, postnatal depression and what happens when caring for other people leaves too little room to care for yourself.

This episode was recorded in Anna's Victorian House in Hackney.

Join us over on Patreon to watch the full house tour.
Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

More of Anna:

Books - https://annajones.co.uk/books
Website - https://annajones.co.uk/
Weekly newsletter - https://substack.com/@annajonesfood
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/we_are_food/

To hear more from us:

Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMatt
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt
Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Martha Beck is a sociologist, bestselling author and one of the world’s leading life coaches. She grew up in the Mormon community in Utah, in a home that was a source of shame for her and her siblings.

Her childhood was one of profound anxiety and depression, and she’s written openly about the abuse she experienced from her father. Those traumatic experiences led to a lifelong search for safety – and what it really means to feel at home.

In this conversation, Martha shares why beauty became a lifeline during the darkest periods of her life, how she learned to meditate despite finding it almost unbearable at first and why she believes our homes reflect our psychological state.

These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional.

Martha’s Work:

Martha Beck, PhD, is a Harvard-trained sociologist, world-renowned coach and New York Times bestselling author. She has published nine non-fiction books, one novel, and more than 200 magazine articles.

Inspired by the ideas in her latest book, Beyond Anxiety, this conversation explores how play can be a powerful antidote to anxious thinking.

To hear more from us:

Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, HomingWithMatt
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt
Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jinny Blom is one of Britain's leading landscape designers. She has created over 700 gardens – and each one begins, in some way, with a search for security.

Jinny trained as a psychologist and psychotherapist, working for many years in mental health, before a prophetic dream prompted her to devote herself to her lifelong interest in natural landscapes and gardens.

Since then, Jinny has created spaces that promote the relationship between nature and health – from her sky garden at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital to a healing garden she created with King Charles.

In this conversation, Jinny speaks openly about a childhood marked by abandonment and abuse, and how those early experiences shaped the way she experiences architecture and landscape.

We talk about the childhood hiding place that still influences her work today, the unusual rules she follows when designing a garden, and how creating beautiful landscapes became a way of making sense of a very difficult start in life.

This episode was recorded in Jinny's converted sixteenth-century threshing barn in Oxford.

Join us over on Patreon to watch the full home tour.
Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

Jinny's Current Work:

Jinny’s studio has projects across various continents as well as in the UK.

Her most recent book ‘What Makes a Garden’ won Garden Book of the Year in 2024 published by Frances Lincoln/Quarto. The accompanying self-made podcast series launched in October 2023, with guests as varied as Tim Walker, Skye Gyngell and Brian Eno.

The studio has won prestigious awards for large, completed estates, some of which appear in her new book.

Jinny has launched a bespoke range of English ‘landscape colours’ designed by her specifically for use outside. She has teamed up with Dominic Myland, the owner of the family run paint maker and Royal Warrant holder Mylands. It is a unique plant-based formula for wood, metal and masonry.

To hear more from us:

Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMatt
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt
Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jackie Kay is an acclaimed poet and novelist, who was previously the national poet of Scotland – a role known as the Makar. She’s the author of Red Dust Road, a memoir that chronicles a twenty-year search for her birth parents.

Jackie was adopted as a baby by a white Scottish couple and grew up in suburban Glasgow. Throughout her life, she's had to explore questions of identity, belonging and family – themes that run through some of the most celebrated writing of the past forty years.

In this conversation, Jackie reflects on how the love of her adoptive parents helped her navigate racism, what it means to feel at odds with your national identity, and whether it's ever possible to feel completely at home in yourself.

These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional.

Jackie Kay is an award-winning Scottish poet and author of Selected Poems 1991-2006, May Day and Red Dust Road.

To hear more from us:

Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, HomingWithMatt
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt
Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Does modern design shelter us, or is it cutting us off from the world? Architect Stefan Behling believes that many of today's buildings have turned us into what he calls "humans in captivity”. They keep the temperature constant, shut out the sounds and smells of the outside world, and misunderstand what it really means to be comfortable.

As a senior partner at Foster + Partners, Stefan has spent more than thirty years exploring sustainable architecture and human-centric design, working on projects ranging from Apple Park in California to experimental habitats for NASA.

In this conversation, we explore what the science of the senses and evolutionary biology can teach us about creating spaces that genuinely support our wellbeing.

We discuss why constant comfort isn't always good for us, what space travel reveals about our need for nature, and why design should prioritise the psychological over the physiological.

These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional.

To hear more from us:
Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, HomingWithMatt
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt
Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Sophie Hicks has helped fashion brands like Paul Smith, Yohji Yamamoto and Acne Studios translate their vision into built form.

But before becoming one of Britain's most respected architects, she was immersed in the world of fashion.

She worked alongside Grace Coddington and Azzedine Alaïa, styled shoots for Vogue and Tatler, and became an iconic face of the early Eighties after appearing on the cover of i-D magazine in a portrait by David Bailey.

In this conversation, we explore her childhood between London and the Sussex countryside, why she pivoted from fashion to architecture, and the story behind her austere personal style.

We also discuss what makes a house feel calm, her belief that spaces should do as little as possible while meaning as much as possible, and why she's fascinated by the challenge of creating a hotel that feels like home.

This episode was recorded in Sophie’s house in West London.

A full tour of Sophie’s home is available to our Patreon community.

Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

Contact Sophie:

www.sophiehicks.com

To hear more from us:

Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMatt
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt
Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Loneliness, anxiety and a loss of belonging are among the defining crises of our time. Johann Hari believes they share a common cause.

Johann is the author of Lost Connections and Stolen Focus – two of the most widely read books on mental health published in the last decade.

He argues that depression and anxiety are often misunderstood: not simply as biological problems, but as signals that our modern environment is failing to meet some of our deepest psychological needs.

In this episode of Homing, we discuss the human need for a tribe, how the attention crisis fractures our relationships, and the practical ways we can begin to rebuild connection.

It’s a conversation about one of the defining questions of our time: why do so many of us feel like we don't belong – and how can we find our way home?

These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional.

Guest:
www.johannhari.com

To hear more from us:
Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, HomingWithMatt
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt
Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Margot Henderson is one of Britain's most influential chefs, and a pioneer of “nose-to-tail” cooking. She's spent her career finding value in what others might disregard – a philosophy that extends far beyond the kitchen.

Alongside her husband, Fergus Henderson, she's helped redefine the way we eat, with an approach that's simple, honest and rooted in ingredients rather than technique.

While Fergus founded St. JOHN, Margot helped shape a generation of cooks through Rochelle Canteen, Arnold & Henderson and, more recently, The Three Horseshoes in Somerset.

In this conversation, recorded in her home in Stockwell, Margot describes her childhood in New Zealand, where her mother introduced her to a world of French restaurants and a lifelong appetite for adventurous eating.

We talk about the pull of London in the 1980s, the influence of The Face magazine, and the whirlwind romance that led to a lifelong partnership with Fergus.

Margot also reflects on marriage, loyalty and care, as she discusses Fergus's Parkinson's diagnosis and the realities of growing older together.

This episode of Homing was recorded inside Margot’s home in Stockwell.

Join us over on Patreon to watch the full house tour.

To hear more from us:
Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, https://www.patreon.com/HomingWithMatt
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt
Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Today's guest is psychotherapist Julia Samuel MBE, one of Britain's leading experts on grief and trauma.

Julia has worked with hundreds of families navigating bereavement, including members of the Royal Family. She was a close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales, and supported Prince William and Prince Harry following Diana's death.

In this conversation, we explore belonging and why some people never feel settled where they are, tracing it back to the role home plays in early life.

Julia shares practical advice on how our homes can support healing – from the personal rituals that help us mourn, to why changing a home can sometimes be the most powerful way to regain a sense of agency after loss.

These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional.

Contact:

Follow Julia on Instagram: @juliasamuelmbe for tips, tools, and conversations about navigating life’s challenges.

For bereavement help, you can download the Grief Works App

If you need help finding a therapist, visit: The Samuel Therapy Practice

To hear more from us:
Patreon: Watch exclusive home tours, HomingWithMatt
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt
Instagram: Follow for updates and announcements, @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Patrick Williams is an interior decorator who specialises in period buildings and restoration projects. He views design not just as decoration, but as a form of storytelling and historical preservation.

Patrick is the founder of Berdoulat, a design practice named after the remarkable house in France that his parents restored over a twenty-year period during his childhood – a project that became central to their family story and continues to shape his work today.

In this conversation, we talk about grief, inheritance, and the rituals that connect him to his family roots, including a cherished family recipe he makes called "The Truth".

We also explore Patrick's fascination with classical architecture and his belief that the best buildings are designed in harmony with the human body: through proportion, acoustics and the accumulation of patina over time.

This is a story about memory and belonging, and how the places we inhabit keep us connected to the people who shaped us, long after they're gone.

A full tour of Patrick’s beautiful eighteenth-century house in Bath is available to our Patreon community.

Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

Patrick's book, The House Rules, published by Quadrille, charts the evolution of Patrick Williams' design studio, Berdoulat and is a stunning visual exploration of his practice and meticulous approach to working with period buildings.

To hear more from us:
YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video version
Instagram: @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office
Produced by @podshoponline

The full visualised tour of Patrick’s home is available to our Patreon community.
Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Should the home be considered one of the pillars of health?

Dr. Esther Sternberg believes good design can heal us — and that architects should think of themselves not just as designers, but almost as health professionals.

Esther is a physician and researcher whose work focuses on the relationship between mind, body and environment. She is the author of Healing Spaces and Well at Work, which explores the growing science of how the spaces we inhabit affect our health and wellbeing.

In this conversation, we discuss how our environments shape the body and brain; the role of light, sound and nature in wellbeing; and how small changes to our homes can help create a sense of sanctuary in an increasingly anxious world.

These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional.

To hear more from us:

YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video version

Instagram: @homingwithmatt
Patreon: HomingWithMatt

Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here.

Music by @simeonwalkermusic

Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office

Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

David Shrigley has spent his life creating art that makes people laugh. He is one of Britain’s most recognisable contemporary artists, celebrated for his deadpan drawings that mix humour, bleakness and childlike simplicity.

Growing up as a shy, introspective child, on a red-brick estate in the suburbs of Leicester, David was happiest alone with a blank sheet of paper and a pencil – fifty years later, not much has changed.

His artworks have an improvised quality, but beneath them lies a surprisingly ordered life.

David talks openly about obsessive tendencies – anxiety, control, and the daily routines that keep him grounded. He works a reliable ten-to-six day, and ticks off each drawing as he goes.

This is a conversation about the compulsion to make things and the human need to make light of life’s absurdities.

A full tour of David’s Brighton studio is available to our Patreon community.

Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

Contact:
Web: www.davidshrigley.com
Shop: www.shrigshop.com
Email: [email protected]

To hear more from us:

YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video version

Instagram: @homingwithmatt

Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic

Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office

Produced by @podshoponline

The full visualised tour of David’s studio is available to our Patreon community.

Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The spaces we inhabit shape who we become. But what does that mean for the people who have no choice where they live?

Yvonne Jewkes is a professor of criminology, author, and leading expert on prison architecture.

She has spent her career studying what echoing corridors, metal doors and harsh fluorescent lighting do to the people living inside prisons — and designing spaces that restore rather than punish.

This conversation is also very personal. Yvonne spent more than a decade restoring a crumbling Regency townhouse, only for her partner to leave midway through the project. The house became tangled up with grief and the slow unravelling of the relationship itself.

We explore the strange overlap between prisons and homes: the human need for dignity, sanctuary and control over our surroundings and the instinct to create beauty even in the bleakest places.

If you enjoyed this conversation, Yvonne's book An Architecture of Hope: reimagining the prison, restoring a house, rebuilding myself is a powerful exploration into the universal need for sanctuary.

These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional.

To hear more from us:

YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video version

Patreon: www.patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

Instagram: @homingwithmatt

Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic

Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office

Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Sue Stuart-Smith is a psychiatrist, gardener and the author of The Well-Gardened Mind. She has spent her career making the case that going outside and getting your hands in the soil is one of the most powerful things we can do for our mental health.

Sue runs the Serge Hill Project, along with her husband, Tom Stuart-Smith — a garden and events space where children and groups from disadvantaged backgrounds come to learn about the profound link between gardening and wellbeing.

Her research isn’t just scientific; it’s rooted in her own family history. Her grandfather found solace in gardening after the trauma of being a prisoner of war and her mother restored a large garden to cope with the death of Sue’s father.

The episode builds on these stories to explore the positive hormonal effects of gardening on the body, the growing movement of green prescribing and how beauty can be a lifeline to those in recovery.

This is a conversation about stepping outside, tuning into the natural world and finding a gentler rhythm.

A full tour of Sue’s beautiful private gardens is available to our Patreon community.

Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

To hear more from us:

YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video version

Instagram: @homingwithmatt

Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic

Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office

Produced by @podshoponline

The full catalogue of home tours is available to our Patreon community.
Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We tend to think of home as the space inside our four walls. But for David Engwicht, home doesn't stop at the front door – it extends out into the neighbourhood beyond.

David is a master placemaker and urban designer – he explores how the design of our towns and cities can either bring us closer or push us apart. With his cowboy boots, heavy-framed glasses and 'Pat Cash' hair, he's more like a rock ’n’ roll philosopher than an urban thinker.

His philosophy was shaped by a nomadic childhood, living in 30 different homes and attending 26 schools. This experience taught him that home isn't something we find; it's something we create.

In this conversation, David talks about the social bonds modern life has eroded and the small, everyday gestures we can make to rebuild that trust.

From turning his own garden in Brisbane into a public park, to travelling the world with a folding throne in a suitcase, David’s work is a lesson in how designing for community can lead us to a deeper sense of belonging.

These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional.

To hear more from us:

YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video version

Instagram: @homingwithmatt

TikTok: @homing.with.matt

Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic

Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office

Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Artist Sue Webster built a career and a home by refusing to fit in — it’s why she identifies with the Mole Man so much.

She found fame alongside her husband Tim Noble, as part of the post-YBA generation — their anarchic self-portraits, made from found objects and discarded rubbish, made them the “rock stars” of British art. Together they built the Dirty House in Shoreditch, which helped define the area as the epicentre of London's art scene.

More recently, Sue has created an equally radical home for herself: the Mole House in Hackney, built on top of the tunnels where the so-called Mole Man spent forty years digging underground. Where some saw an oddity, Sue saw something worth preserving. The house is a love letter to eccentricity, and a rare pocket of creative chaos in an increasingly polished city.

From growing up in a caravan in Leicester to carving out a place in the art world and becoming a mother at 52, Sue’s story is one of fierce independence and how to live a life that is truly authentic to yourself.

Sue's first solo exhibition, Birth of an Icon, is on show at Firstsite in Colchester.

A full tour of The Mole House is available to members on Patreon:

http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

To hear more from us:

YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video version

Instagram: @homingwithmatt

Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic

Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office

Produced by @podshoponline

The full video home tour is available to members on Patreon:

http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Most of us think we need more — more space, more things, more possessions. Japanese architect Takero Shimazaki believes we may already have enough.

Takero has designed some of the most elegant private houses in Britain, including one that was nominated for the Stirling Prize. His buildings are never grand or showy. Instead, they are thoughtful and restrained.

He grew up in Japan, where there’s a long tradition of embracing imperfection and accepting that materials age naturally. His grandfather — also an architect — taught him that light and proportion shape not just a building, but how we feel inside it. It’s a philosophy Takero has carried with him ever since.

When his father died two years ago, he found himself confronting a simple but liberating truth: we don’t really own anything. Today, he tries not to own much. He still wears the cashmere jumpers he inherited from his grandfather.

In this conversation, Takero reflects on the Japanese idea of “enough” — the belief that most of us already have what we need. He speaks about his own modest Victorian house and about how good design can create spaces that feel calm and private even in the middle of a dense city.

This is a conversation about impermanence, intention, and how taking care of the things around us allows them, in turn, to take care of us.

These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional.

To hear more from us:

YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video version

Instagram: @homingwithmatt

TikTok: @homing.with.matt

Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic

Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office

Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

For fashion designer turned ceramicist Henry Holland, reinvention isn't about starting over – it's about evolving on your own terms.

Henry first made his name with the cult fashion label House of Holland, famous for cheeky slogans like 'Do Me Daily Christopher Bailey' and 'Let's Breed Bella Hadid'. But in recent years, he has pivoted to making homewares and contemporary ceramics, using the Japanese technique of nerikomi.

With his East London house currently being refurbished from top to bottom, Henry is living in a home of two halves. It’s the perfect metaphor for this transitional stage of his life.

His parents separated when he was young, and he split his time between the two households. One was ordered and structured, while the other was more creative. It’s clear that he lives his life today with the influence of both.

There’s the playful version of him that we’ve seen pictured at parties. But there’s also a deeply determined side that’s about proving people wrong, which partly stems from the bullying he experienced when he was young.

Henry is not afraid to reveal his sensitivities, opening up about everything from panic attacks and imposter syndrome to the disappointment he felt when his fashion brand closed down in 2020.

This is a conversation about reinvention, resilience and the tension between who we’ve been and who we’re becoming.

This episode was recorded inside Henry’s home in East London.

A full tour of the house is available to our Patreon community.

Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

To hear more from us:

YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video version

Instagram: @homingwithmatt

Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic

Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office

Produced by @podshoponline

The full visualised home tour is available to our Patreon community.

Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We think of home as our ultimate refuge – a sanctuary from the noise and pollution of the outside world. But what if the space meant to protect us is actually the one we should be questioning most?

Dr. Jenny Goodman, a practitioner of ecological medicine, has spent years examining how modern life exposes us to toxins and sharing practical steps we can take to reduce exposure.

Jenny breaks down the "cocktail effect" of everyday cleaning products, the common mistakes we make with food storage and the reason she chooses a Wi-Fi-free domestic life.

This isn’t a conversation about getting everything right. No home is entirely free from toxicity, and it’s about personal choice. But Jenny teaches us the importance of paying closer attention to our surroundings – and making small, considered changes that may have a positive impact in the long term.

These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional.

To hear more from us:

YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video version

Instagram: @homingwithmatt

TikTok: @homing.with.matt

Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic

Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office

Produced by @podshoponline

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Beyond the whirlwind of galleries and exhibitions, Tate Director Maria Balshaw's home holds the quieter, deeply personal moments of her life.

Growing up in Northampton, she longed to escape her characterless new-build house and nurtured a desire to be different. Her current home in Kent is a reflection of that creative rebellion, with medieval beams at its centre, classical sash windows on one side and Crittalls on the other.

Maria grows vegetables in her garden year-round, swims in the sea nearby, and measures time by what’s coming into flower – a way to be at one with nature and shed the stress of an urban working week.

Her mother spent her final months in this house, sitting on the terrace in the sun, watching buzzards circle the valley, convinced one of them was her late husband waiting for her.

At the end of March, Maria is stepping down from her position at the Tate after nine years, signing off with a major Tracey Emin exhibition. She knows exactly where she’ll be the following morning: in the garden, in her wellies, at the start of the growing season.

This is a conversation about movement and rootedness – and about what it means to build a home that can hold both.
This episode was recorded inside Maria’s home in Kent.

A full tour of the home and garden is available to our Patreon community.
Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

To hear more from us:

YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video version
Instagram: @homingwithmatt
Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic
Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponline

The full visualised home tour is available to our Patreon community.
Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Why are some people drawn to minimalist architecture while others prefer nostalgic rooms filled with antiques and personal artefacts?

Writer and philosopher Alain de Botton believes the answer might lie deeper than taste.

For many years, Alain has explored the emotional forces that shape our inner lives – from love and loss to status anxiety. Through his educational organisation, The School of Life, he has focused on wellbeing and self-understanding.

Much of this thinking connects directly to the built environment.

In his book The Architecture of Happiness, Alain argues that buildings are never neutral: they can steady us, unsettle us, and quietly influence who we become.

In this conversation, Alain reflects on his own relationship with domestic space – and how, in many ways, he has spent a lifetime trying to recreate the modernist calm of his childhood home in Switzerland.

Together, Matt and Alain explore beauty, belonging and control – and examine why so many of us turn to architecture in search of a kind of psychological skin.

This is a conversation that goes to the heart of what Homing is about: how we build safety, both in the spaces around us and within ourselves.

This episode was filmed at Alain’s house in North London.

These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional.

To hear more from us:

YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video version

Instagram: @homingwithmatt

TikTok: @homing.with.matt

Contact: Email us at [email protected]

Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496

Music by @simeonwalkermusic

Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office

Produced by @podshoponline

For exclusive walking tours – from Dan Pearson’s year-round outdoor kitchen to Polly Morgan’s taxidermy zebra – join us on Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★